CSpec

This almost sounds like a last ditch effort for GM... if it succeeds, they win, and win big at the expense of all other carmakers. If they fail, they fail hard.

How about a system similar to the old Accord hybrid, which didn't really improve mileage but improved performance for the same mileage?

Solstice coupe?

My understanding was that they have a joint plant in southern California that was started in the early 80s. Toyota needed a plant in the US, and GM was keen to learn the Toyota method for producing more reliable cars, and that plant is still making the Matrix. I think I have that right anyway.

Wow, let's hope it doesn't have the axle hop of the old one. Did they upgrade the transmission?

Popular Mechanics (which always has very good intel) had a drawing of the Sky way before it was supposed to come out, but they thought it was a Chevy.

Even "worthless" brands like HUMMER still have a corporate shell and legal identity in the US already in place, with a dealer network. These foreign companies can capitalize on that to save a lot of money on entrance to the marketplace.

I think that GM was ahead of its time with the Rendezvous. It always got pretty good mileage (24 mpg highway), has a low, wide, loading bay, and has a very high roof. The headroom and interior space are fantastic, with a relatively small exterior footprint.

FOG, it is selfish because you would like development in your area that clearly is not suited to it, at the expense of everyone else. The manufacturing moved because there was a better place for it. Keeping it static just for the sake of keeping it static hurts everyone who could have benefited from the lower priced products produced in the new location, which more than offsets the "gains" from the small local population.

I agree somewhat (except for the horizontal speedo part, that's a bit too 80s I think, could it have a big yellow 55?), but Buick staying the course has obviously not worked for them recently. Lincoln may have done a good job making a very conservative MKS, but Lincoln is in a world of trouble and I don't think the MKS is the car to get them out.

Well the Toyota name is/was obviously built on something, reputations don't come from nowhere.

Why do goods consumed have to come from the same area on a map? Why does that matter? If Canada was a good environment for a company to build a car factory, then they would do it. Since the factories are moving, obviously the area on the map is not as good as other areas, so production moves. Those workers will find something else to do, as has always been the case when industry evolves.

Yes there is a text disclaimer saying that it is the manual-equipped XFE. I don't see any problem with advertising this way, as it is commonplace for a manufacturer to take one small metric and make a big deal out of it. Now all we need is a better Cobalt.

If they had a less retarded roof, trunks, and places to put things in the interior maybe they would be doing better.

Yes, things will hurt for a while, but I think in the end this will turn out to be a good thing. This isn't really an oil shock as it's been ramping up for about a year now, but this price surge might finally end oil's 100 year monopoly on us all.

The STS has always been a disappointment--the styling was a compromise at best, having been changed at the last minute and has some problematic areas for sure. The interior space and trunk are strangely small, and the interior was never quite what it could be. It just never quite equaled its German rivals in the categories that buyers in this segment care about.

I heard on the news this morning that Oshawa workers were asking the government to reimpose some draconian law from the 1960s that mandates Canadian sales must equal Canadian production or face penalties. I guess this is somewhat akin to the Chrysler bailout in the US, and just as crazy.

I think people are being too optimistic with the Camaro sales numbers... unless you want a piece of crap like the Mustang, the Camaro won't be all that cheap, and sales will reflect that.

Yeah this is a pretty lame update. Hopefully the interior is improved.

Everything is so volatile right now--I would say hold off until things stabilize, if GM still exists. The stock market is not a good game to be playing at the moment.

Where did he announce that? And I thought the 9-3 was being changed to Delta II or something.

CARBIZ, compare these 2 cargo bays: The Equinox in its current iteration was always too long, heavy, and narrow. My worry is that the new version still has these negative attributes, even with a better powertrain and interior.

I agree entirely. It would also make it very similar to Volvo, and both that and Acura are sort of premium brands just short of full-out luxury, which is what Buick should be IMO.

My worry is that the Equinox is still too big, and likely heavy. Its competition does not look so elongated in the wheelbase, which does not bode well for fuel economy and drivability. I just hope this one is far more refined than the clunky one we have now. I also hope it has a far more useful trunk, without those huge humps over the wheels.

Crash, I was just gonna say that this looks similar to the new Equinox. I alse see the resemblence to the Insignia--it seems like this center stack strategy is akin to the new "black tie", but much nicer and differentiated.